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Penn State Abington partnership builds Montgomery County business brick by brick By Celena E. Kusch
	Beginning last summer, eastern Montgomery County entrepreneurs now have a new source of support for developing their businesses. The Business Resource Incubator Center (BRIC) is an economic development project of Penn State Abington, the Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and Abington Township. Its mission is to advance economic development in eastern Montgomery County by providing one-stop services to small business starters and existing small business owners who wish to expand, relocate or begin new businesses in the area. BRIC is designed to enrich the business environment, create a support structure and match area resources with business needs.   Dr. Karen Wiley Sandler, dean and campus executive officer of Penn State Abington, serves on the BRIC board. As dean of Abington campus, Sandler has responsibilities in the board of the Chamber of Commerce and in the Economic Development Committee of Abington Township. From her work with these groups, it became apparent to her that Penn State Abington could play an important role in promoting economic development in the area. Sandler said the area already enjoys the benefits of a technology industry incubator, and local economic development planners agreed that the incubator model could be used to increase the number of small businesses, as well.   In 1997, Abington campus, Abington Township and the Chamber of Commerce began a partnership designed to launch and sustain a small business incubator in eastern Montgomery County. According to Sandler, the collaboration between business, government and education mobilizes the resources of each partner to meet local needs for workforce training, mentoring and policy and procedural support from local government.   “The three partners share a productive synergy, making them very well suited to guide this initiative,” she said. “It has been a joy to get this project started.   “As a land-grant university, it is very much our obligation to look for areas of need in our communities and to forge effective partnerships to provide for that need,” she added. “Penn State has the means and vision to serve as an educational, economic and cultural resource for all of Pennsylvania. We think the BRIC initiative is an ideal vehicle to meet that obligation in a way that will have tremendous benefit for the community.”   Under the leadership of Jane Owens, director of continuing education at Penn State Abington, the campus already serves local businesses and employees with a number of programs that address needs for training, development and planning. These offerings include Management Development Programs and Services’ supervisory training, diversity training, technology training and the Continuing Education Customer Relations Certificate program. The campus also conducts on-site training programs with clients like Prudential, Advanta and Honeywell. Continuing Education plans to use programs like these to serve BRIC businesses.   “Our role in the partnership is to bring training and development opportunities to the community,” Sandler explained. “Penn State has so many resources to bring to bear on the project. Even if Abington campus does not already offer a program, we have the resources to develop educational services to meet new needs. For example, through our collaborations with Montgomery County Cooperative Extension, we can draw upon extension programming and resources to aid BRIC clients. The other partners in the BRIC initiative really see us in this role.”   Like the workforce development training and other educational programs, the services BRIC provides complement the business entrepreneur’s knowledge and provide assistance in a variety of areas.   As part of the program, clients are assigned professional advisers who offer assistance as business plans are developed. Advisers come from a pool of more than 30 volunteer mentors drawn from the membership of the Chamber of Commerce.   Peter David, president of the Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, has identified the BRIC project as one of the chamber’s top priorities.   “Promoting economic development in Montgomery County is central to the Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce’s future vision. The BRIC partnership draws upon the expertise and the diversity of talents reflected in our membership and places the chamber at the heart of the economic development process.”   BRIC leaders are encouraged by the show of support from chamber membership so early in the program. Planners began reviewing applications last summer and expected to enroll their first client this fall.   Abington Township assistant manager Matthew Lahaza, recognizes the important role to be played by the incubator project. He said that “BRIC will be an outstanding supplement to the township’s many economic development programs. It will provide area residents and business entrepreneurs with a direct avenue to a multitude of resources so often needed in a start-up or expanding business operation. The township particularly envisions that BRIC will assist disadvantaged and minority populations in their pursuit of business ownership dreams.”   Penn State Abington also will contribute to the development of strategic goals for the partnership. Last August, Sandler, Jennifer Lukoff, director of Development and University Relations, and Dr. G. Steven McMillan, assistant professor of management at Penn State Abington, were named the University’s representatives to the BRIC incubator board. Along with members of the Chamber of Commerce and Abington Township, this group plans to establish a sustainable funding base, acquire space to house the center and continue to build legislative and community support for the project.